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Thursday, March 24, 2011

The formal name of this soup is American Potage, but as a child Warren loved this soup so much that eating it felt like getting a great big hug and kiss from mom and the term stuck. I just glanced at the calendar and see that today is the perfect day to share a recipe that perfectly honors her legacy as a loving mother and wonderful cook. Today is the 11th anniversary of her death. Perpetual light shine on her and may she rest eternally in heaven above.

That's how the original appears exactly. Here are my tweaks.
*I always use ground venison and when browning I cover and turn the heat a little higher than normal so the meat really browns and the juices brown significantly to the bottom of the kettle.
*When I add the water I scrape the bottom of the kettle to loosen the browned bits; this is the key to imparting that yummy "hug and kiss" flavor.(Thanks Jenny)
*I always add more potatoes because we all love potatoes in soup.
*I use a little less salt.
* I leave the bay leaf whole and then remove it before serving.
* I use my home canned tomato juice in place of the canned tomatoes because we love the flavor and the kids like it better without chunks of tomato.

Here in Wisconsin we're still in soup mode because winter will not leave! Warren had to plow snow today. Actually it was more of a frozen icy, sleety, snow mix. Just for comparison and since I remember March 24, 2000 quite well I can tell you that March can bring any kind of weather in Wisconsin. That particular March day was warm and sunny. None of us wore coats or boots, the snow was gone. Warren had been laying out pipe in the weeks prior, a sure sign that spring has truly sprung. But alas it's not 2000, but 2011 and it's oh so cold and the ground is still covered in a thick icy snowy layer. I better get cooking because soup is on the menu for tonight.

We've homeschooled our children from the beginning. I know a whole lot now that I didn't know in my beginning years of teaching. For statistics sake, here's the number of years I've taught.

Kindergarten - 5 years

1st grade - 5 years

2nd grade - 5 years

3rd grade - 4 years

4th grade - 4 years

5th grade - 4 years

6th grade - 4 years

7th grade - 5 years (2 yrs. at a public school)

8th grade - 3 years

9th grade - 3 years

10th grade - 2 years

11th grade - 2 years

12th grade - 2 years

I don't want to sound overly boastful, but after 5 tries as a Kindergarten and 1st grade teacher, I'm pretty good. The other grades, well I still have a lot to learn. I'm good with the material, it's the presentation and organization that could use a little work. Anyway, after all these years of homeschooling I finally have a tip to share.

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Start the day off with the "together work"

A typical day means everyone sits down around 8:30 a.m. to begin their day's work. Each child works at a different pace completing math, spelling, language, foreign language, reading comprehension, map skills - whatever is on their list for the day. I always have some "together work" planned as well. For us history, science, art, bible story/prayer, writing are all possible subjects for "together work".

"Together work" is any subject that we study together.

The problem I've found with letting each child dive into their work is that we can never agree on when "together work" should be done. One child says I only have 1 more math problem and so I let them finish and then the next child just has 3 more spelling words to practice so I let her finish and the first child not wanting to sit idle starts on their next subject and before you know it another hour of "just one more" has passed and now it's time for lunch. We never get to our subject for that day.

So to combat this, most days I try to start with the "together work". Knowing we accomplished our history reading or science project first thing allows the kids the freedom to work at their own pace the rest of the day without the worry of wondering when will mom throw something else our way.

Starting off with "together work" also forces me to stay on schedule in the morning so I don't fall into the trap of doing just one more thing while everyone starts on spelling or hides in their room listening to music because mom's not even ready yet.

I hope this homeschool hint is helpful to you. Do you have a totally boss homeschool hint to share? Please share in the comments or over at FB. My readers love a good homeschool hint.

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Lent has begun and I know exactly how many days are left: 32 days including the 4 Sundays leading up to Easter Sunday. So technically only 28 days of sacrifice. This year Warren and I gave up sweets which is a huge sacrifice for us. I love baking and we love eating baked goods. Since neither of us can partake in the baked goods I stopped cold turkey and boy did the kids notice. No homecooked treats and a whole lot more casseroles. I guess casseroles must be second to sweets as my comfort food. I've been cooking a lot lately (fun for me) and trying new recipes (also fun for me). The rest of the family though doesn't always appreciate my desire to try new recipes and eat casseroles day after day. Here's our current menu I'm working through.

Beef and Potato Bake

Biscuits

sliced oranges

Chicken 'n Rice Casserole

Canned peaches

Salad

Cheddar Chowder

crackers

Hug 'n Kiss Soup

Homemade bread

Cranberry Sauce

Venison Stew

Biscuits

Cranberry Sauce

Pickles

Homemade Pepperoni Pizza

Sliced Apples

Black Olives

Cheesy Spaghetti Bake

Garlic Bread

Steamed Cauliflower

Icy Lemonade

Pizza Burgers

Canned fruit

Black Olives

Pork Chops in crockpot

Stuffing

Green Beans

Crockpot Potato Soup

crackers

10-Minute Taco Salad (meatless)

Rice

Sliced Pears

Chicken Noodle Casserole

Salad

Clementines and Apples

Chili

crackers

fresh sliced apples and pears

I've tried a variety of menu planning. Years ago I printed blank monthly calendars and then filled them in with menu options. March menus included late winter/early spring type dishes. A mix of hearty soups and stews for those days when March brings snow/sleet storms and grilled food and salads for those first warm spring days when a coat is optional and flip flops are worn for the first time again. As I made a meal I checked it off with a pencil so I knew which meals were still available. This system worked for me for over a year. I don't recall why I abandoned this method; I still have the filled in calendars and do refer to them every so often when planning meals now.

I also planned menus based on a particular cookbook or magazine. While going through a Taste of Home I would begin a menu with a recipe I'd like to try. For example if I found a recipe for Asian Noodle Salad I wanted to try I would create a menu around that recipe. Pork chops, (new recipe), canned fruit would go on my list and then I'd keep looking. I labeled the top of each notebook page with the cookbook name/magazine name and issue so I could easily retrieve the recipes when needed. I became addicted to this at one time. I have an entire notebook of menu plans to go with all my various cookbooks and magazines and I still use these when at a loss for what to make.

Of course there's been plenty of weeks when I've failed to write down any plan. We're still all here so obviously we didn't starve to death, but I wouldn't recommend this method unless you're single because hungry eyes looking at you at 12:01 or 5:30 is enough to eat right through you.

So for now I keep a variety of breakfast and lunch foods in the pantry and plan my supper meals in my daily planner. With 7 people all going different ways it's helpful to have my calendar handy when planning meals. I can see at a glance if the meal needs to be quick, slow-cooked, meatless or feast day worthy, early or late. I also keep a hidden stash of quick food (popcorn chicken, taquitos, corn dogs) because inevitably something will come up and a more involved meal will have to be postponed.

I hope this Cooking Camp inspires you to make a meal plan because food can nourish the body, but it also nourishes the heart and soul and I'm sure your family is worth it.

Thursday, March 3, 2011

So today is Warren's birthday and we celebrated for two reasons. First it's his birthday of course. And second, it's not Lent yet. So often his birthday falls during Lent or, even worse, on Ash Wednesday. Not that those times are terrible, but once those ashes are thumbed on our foreheads it seems all celebrating comes to a screeching halt. Today we took full advantage of this pre-Lent birthday. It started with breakfast at a local cafe with lots of locals wondering why all these kids invaded their normally peaceful breakfast. Then a few small presents. Then the mail and boy did it deliver today. Cards and packages, even the items I'd ordered came today. What luck! What to get for this business owning, gun toting, family loving, conservative country boy. It was easy. First the shirt in the photo was a winner. It bears the logo and phrase coined by Benjamin Franklin.

For a taste of the music he loves and his favorite music video, I included the links.

*Note the reference to weed in the song does not fit him, but he still loves this song.

I love this photo. We've never put the exact number of candles on Warren's cake. Emily had fun fitting all 38 candles on his cake and commented that next year he either needs two cakes or just a bigger one. I laughed, but I shouldn't because my birthday's next and I'm a bit older than him. I also love the beer in the photo because that's my husband: angel food cake and beer

That's a whole lotta fire. After he blew out the candles it was actually a little smoky in here.

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A Little About Me

Hello, I'm Jennifer, a former public school science teacher, now homeschooling our seven children. I love sharing our experience with homeschooling special needs, especially dyslexia and Down syndrome. You'll also find plenty of family approved cranberry recipes, resources for homeschooling your high schooler, and all the antics of a large Catholic family. Look around; and please don't be shy - comments always welcome.